Have we learned the lessons of life too late?

Oh the pain and suffering from these sometimes harsh and formidable lessons of this life. They are most grueling and challenging, yet we press forward and upward trying to prove ourselves worthy for the prepared mansions above. Yet we have spread, our sometimes naïve, and definitely neophyte attempts of managing this our life, and the effects from them, on to others, our love ones, family, and friends, and even ourselves, not knowing the perhaps harm, and injury, we have perpetrated and handed down to these and others.​These are our first lessons in experiencing this mortal, natural, world and we sojourn here as strangers, and wanderers, not knowing our pre-existence past, save maybe a glimpse or two. We fumble and falter at life’s challenges and experiences, yet trying as best we can, to cope and to survive. Overcoming the selfish natural man while trying to do God’s work is a dilemma that does not always see or achieve victory or success, but causes us to sometimes plunge ourselves into deep dark shadowy pits, yet oh the lessons learned.

Men are, that they might have joy, and there is much to learn from the good virtues in this life, of joy, happiness, love, charity, hope, faith, modesty, cleanliness and others. Lessons to be learned from these virtues are both rewarding and satisfying, yet lets us turn to the lessons learned through pain, despair, fear, sorrow, death, and suffering, of enduring temptations and the opposition, and from the selfish loves of self, and this world. We often learned seemingly eternal lessons, yet we can feel that this learning arrives way too late, for to repair, and correct the damages, and hurts already executed. God forbid.

It is clearly apparent that it just may be too late for a wanting of a repeat performance, you know, a do over. Grief and self blame become common within our hearts and in our minds. God forbid! Oh awake and take courage! Do we not only just get a brief chance or chances to be a spouse, a parent, a child, or maybe to be a shepherd or shepherdess in the church, or a sibling, or managing a business, or a member in our congregations or many others. In comparison with eternity it maybe less than brief, yet it is important not to waste these days of probation, or even more not to pay astute attention to the full purpose of this short but important existence.

We try as we may to learn, to improve, and to move forward, yet their are times we definitely feel that we have not, as we can emotionally keep banging our heads against a hard stoned wall. God Forbid! We all carry heavy baggage that needs be un-loaded, yet at times those around us, and even ourselves, make it difficult to dump these things in our past, and then to start anew. They and we can add logs to past fires and are unyielding, unforgiving, lacking empathy, and even understanding, yet they and we are also learning, are we not? Therefore patience, and tolerance, of and to all is prudent, and also therefore paramount.

Some have been hurt, and oh my golly, they want one to pay for it over and over. Estrangement is present, and walls are built up, sometimes thick and high, falsely thinking that they will feel safe and secure, yet they are not. God forbid. Of course there are some who don’t even recognize the hurt or pain they have caused. Again God forbid. Yet where is love or charity, for love overcomes evil, and has no malice or ill will? Is this not the most difficult lesson of all to be learned? And are we not here to learn how to love, in its many ways, and have compassion, which just may be the most important lessons to be learned in this journey below, the heavens above.

Let us therefore ever keep striving, and ever keep trying, ever vigilante. Forgiving and exonerating one another is a great place to start, yet, both are difficult and inconvenient for the harden heart of this, our natural man. Their are regrets many, yet the lessons of this life, may be finally realized and learned, and in the heavens above, if we repent, and through the atonement of Christ, we will gain our salvation and we will weep and tear no more. It just might be that these same painful lessons, and then learned virtues from them, will propel us to greater heights and we will remember no more the sorrows, remorses, and grievings of this arduous life. Oh the joy of the heart that will be felt, for the virtuous lessons learn in this life, even if they feel late coming, and the gladness of the mind, for the then full understanding of the purposes of this precious and valuable existence.

We are to learn and overcome and experience these many things, that just may be needed to ascend, and to obtain glories upon glories in the exaltations above. So uplift your heart and fresh courage take and remember that we have the divine within that will continually inspire, encourage, prompt, and suggest that we all come unto Him unto Christ our Lord. Thou good and faithful servant will be the words that will bend and bow our hearts and will fill our face with flowing tears. Amen and Amen.